On the River Near Chang Mountain
- Poetry of Xu Zaisi

《朝天子·常山江行》

中文原文( Chinese )

远山，近山，一片青无间。

逆流泝上乱石滩。

险似连云栈。

落日昏鸦，西风归雁，叹崎岖途路难。

得闲，且闲，何处无鱼羹饭。

English Translation

Hills far away,

Hills close;

All a blur of blue-green.

Confusion of stones in the rapids as we sail against the current.

Narrow as if the joined clouds were walls.

Sun sinks, crows at dusk;

West wind and homeward geese.

I sigh because the way is hard.

Blocked here

Then blocked again,

And everywhere fish soup to eat!

By Xu Zaisi

- Last updated: 2024-07-26 11:52:09

Why Chinese poems is so special?: The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.

How to read a Chinese poem?: Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

List of Chinese poets